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Roundabout collision - who is at fault? With diagram

368 replies

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 11:59

Involved in a collision today at a roundabout.

Both lanes go straight on. The left lane leads to a left turn only shortly afterwards hence lots of people use the right lane to go straight, road markings are clear both lanes permit going straight.

Left hand exit is a car park for a local park marked in green ‘park’.

Red car travels in the right lane to go straight on, indicates left and starts to pull off.

Blue car comes from the park and intends to turn straight or right, into the path of red car.

Red car brakes but cannot stop in time and blue car is damaged on the drivers side, red car on the passengers corner side.

Who is at fault?

OP posts:
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6
tiger2691 · 18/02/2024 13:53

Red car only has priority if the left exit road has two lanes, if the left exit road is single lane then the red car should've been in the left lane when entering the roundabout. The diagram is somewhat confusing as it doesn't show the exits from the roundabout and their relation to the 12 o'clock rule, or how many lanes the roundabout exit roads have.

PurpleFlower1983 · 18/02/2024 13:48

This is Wakefield isn’t it? Near Thornes Park. The blue car is at fault but it may go 50/50 annoyingly!

Mostlyoblivious · 18/02/2024 13:48

Blue however did red change lane from right to left whilst on the roundabout?

wronginalltherightways · 18/02/2024 13:47

thing47 · 18/02/2024 12:17

If the blue car was going left, it would have been fine. It's the fact it is going straight on (or turning right) that places it firmly in the wrong as it's in the incorrect lane for that manoeuvre. So it has to wait until it can pull across into the correct lane.

This is what I would say. Blue car is at fault, as it was in the wrong lane for where it intended to go. Red car was in the right lane for where it was heading.

SomethingUniqueThisTime · 18/02/2024 13:43

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 13:32

If it helps the woman in the blue car was much older than me 😂 I’m 38 as it is. But thanks for the advice

Ha! There is certainly no age limit on stupid driving!
One of my personal bugbears is bad lane positioning on roundabouts, there is one near where I live where many drivers stick in the left hand land to use the 4th exit on a 5 exit roundabout.
The other issue I see really often is people indicating incorrectly or not at all.

BreatheAndFocus · 18/02/2024 13:39

Blue car’s fault. Blue indicated incorrectly, didn’t give way to Red car (priority to the right) and once it realised it wasn’t supposed to be going left, it should have either exited left anyway and found somewhere safe to turn and return to the roundabout, or signalled right to move into Red car’s lane if/when it was safe to do so.

Hobbi · 18/02/2024 13:38

betterchangemynamequick · 18/02/2024 13:33

Had an identical bump a few years ago. I was blue car and red bombed across roundabout and took us out. Red car tried to claim entire fault was with me. Both police and insurance said roundabout collisions are usually 50/50 unless witnesses/footage to show otherwise.

If you were blue car, you should have given way to the right.

Lostinbrum · 18/02/2024 13:37

In a roundabout you give way to traffic coming from the right. Doesn't matter what it's doing. That's why roundabouts work. Red was on the roundabout blue should have waited for red to pass before pulling out. Blue is at fault

Badgerandfox227 · 18/02/2024 13:36

For me photos makes it very clear it’s blue cars fault. Hope you and bump are ok OP

Springsombrero · 18/02/2024 13:35

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 13:04

The park is really a little side road without road markings. The blue car has come out of
it indicating left but then kept going to turn straight or right. They said they don’t know the area so presumably have realised left isn’t the right way.

Probably worth you double checking there are no road markings or signs on the little side road, as it would obviously help your case if it’s labelled as left lane for left turns only.

Ophy83 · 18/02/2024 13:34

If blue was indicating then entirely at fault, as red car checking would understand this to mean their way was clear to exit.

betterchangemynamequick · 18/02/2024 13:33

Had an identical bump a few years ago. I was blue car and red bombed across roundabout and took us out. Red car tried to claim entire fault was with me. Both police and insurance said roundabout collisions are usually 50/50 unless witnesses/footage to show otherwise.

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 13:32

SomethingUniqueThisTime · 18/02/2024 13:30

You were not in the wrong, the blue car manoeuvred badly around the roundabout as well as indicating incorrectly.
However one of the key skills to learn when driving is to presume nothing about other road users - everyday when driving you will experience people doing incorrect, unsafe and unexpected things. Safe drivers learn to drive defensively and not presume other road users will adhere to the rules.
I don’t wish to sound pompous (I know I do!) but that is one of the reasons older drivers have lower car insurance premiums we have learned to avoid other idiotic road users!
I hope you and your baby are OK, it must have been a dreadful experience.

If it helps the woman in the blue car was much older than me 😂 I’m 38 as it is. But thanks for the advice

OP posts:
SomethingUniqueThisTime · 18/02/2024 13:30

You were not in the wrong, the blue car manoeuvred badly around the roundabout as well as indicating incorrectly.
However one of the key skills to learn when driving is to presume nothing about other road users - everyday when driving you will experience people doing incorrect, unsafe and unexpected things. Safe drivers learn to drive defensively and not presume other road users will adhere to the rules.
I don’t wish to sound pompous (I know I do!) but that is one of the reasons older drivers have lower car insurance premiums we have learned to avoid other idiotic road users!
I hope you and your baby are OK, it must have been a dreadful experience.

ducksinarow123 · 18/02/2024 13:30

ZebraPensAreLife · 18/02/2024 13:26

See I was always taught you take the left lane of going straight ahead

In this case the roundabout markings say you can use either lane for going straight ahead.

Yes but the blue car, coming from a different direction, may not have been aware of that which is why they pulled out without realising the red car was going straight ahead. That's why I said it's likely a 50/50, neither is particularly at fault (red car is in the right for following road markings but blue is right for following the Highway Code).

Yes I drive and have had my license for over 20years and never had an accident, not sure what that has got to do with anything though

Pegasusforme · 18/02/2024 13:29

ZebraPensAreLife · 18/02/2024 13:27

OP may not have moved lanes - there are a lot of roundabouts where the exit has more than one lane

I’ve changed it to move to exit rather than move lanes.

ZebraPensAreLife · 18/02/2024 13:27

Pegasusforme · 18/02/2024 13:26

But you said the blue car was indicating left did you move to exit before or after you made this observation?

Edited

OP may not have moved lanes - there are a lot of roundabouts where the exit has more than one lane

Minymile · 18/02/2024 13:26

Just read your update re blue car indicating left. ie indicating to turn off. So definitely blue car at fault.
Hope you have a camera on your car OP

Maryquitecontrarymary · 18/02/2024 13:26

The blue car is at fault as the rules are give way to the right and you were travelling in correct lane. HOWEVER I had exactly this scenario with a lorry who pulled out exactly like this when I was on the roundabout (big roundabout). I assumed he was going left as he travelled a short distance in the left lane, however he then pulled straight into my path across the junction I was exiting at as he was going straight over. Technically he was in correct lane for going either left or straight over. But he shouldnt have cut across my path. Clipped my wing and damaged his bumper. Ended up in court as I refused to accept liability. Ended up going 70/30 in their favour. Judge decided I should have anticipated his manoeuvre and should have stopped. Bloody ridiculous. I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED SLAP BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROUNDABOUT? To give way to a lorry when it wasn't their right of way? It's a joke

Pegasusforme · 18/02/2024 13:26

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 13:24

I wouldn’t have had time to react to go back round the roundabout as my car was already orientated to drive off it. First instinct was to brake hard!

But you said the blue car was indicating left did you move to exit before or after you made this observation?

ZebraPensAreLife · 18/02/2024 13:26

See I was always taught you take the left lane of going straight ahead

In this case the roundabout markings say you can use either lane for going straight ahead.

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 13:26

ducksinarow123 · 18/02/2024 13:24

See I was always taught you take the left lane of going straight ahead, in which case the red car is in the wrong (screenshot from gov.uk which confirms this)
I can see from the street view that the road does indicate you can go straight ahead in the right lane, but was the blue car driver aware of that as well? If they didn't know the area well, and wasn't aware that this was the case for this roundabout, they might have presumed that with the red car being in the right lane then they were going to continue round the roundabout, turning right.
I imagine it will probably be a 50/50 claim

Do you drive? There are lots of roundabouts where I live where both lanes go straight ahead!

OP posts:
NotQuiteNorma · 18/02/2024 13:25

shielder · 18/02/2024 12:05

wasn’t the lane clear when the blue car joined though?

Yes, but you don't then drive straight into the side of someone.

Minymile · 18/02/2024 13:24

Blue car pulled onto the roundabout when it wasn’t safe to do so.
However I’m guessing it will be 50/50 fault, which is unfair.

Notcheekyvimto · 18/02/2024 13:24

Pegasusforme · 18/02/2024 13:19

You can’t trust the signals of other cars. I have been in this exact situation on a different ra and I chose to go round the ra again and then exit because the speed and direction of the blue car did not correlate with their signal.

Edited

I wouldn’t have had time to react to go back round the roundabout as my car was already orientated to drive off it. First instinct was to brake hard!

OP posts: